Luck Be A Lady
by tomboy101
Summary: I've been around a while. I'm the Royal Flush in a game of cards, the head-side-up penny on the sidewalk, when you find a four-leafed clover or your least favorite teacher is out sick and you don't have to take that test you didn't study for. I am Lady Luck.
1. Lucky Charm

**Tomboy101: I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself. It just popped into my brain after I saw** _Rise of the Guardians _**and wouldn't leave me alone. So guess what, you get to meet Lady. Hope you enjoy! **

**P.S. I do not own ****any character appearing in **_Rise of the Guardians_** but I do own Lady. Please don't steal. I really like her.**

_**Summary:**_**I've been around a while. I'm the Royal Flush in a  
game of cards, the head-side-up penny on the sidewalk, when you find a four-leafed clover or your least favorite teacher is out sick and you don't have to take that test you didn't study for. I am Lady Luck.**

Ch. 1 - Lucky Charm

Everyone's got a lucky charm, be it a lucky coin, a lucky four leafed clover, a lucky rabbit's foot, it doesn't matter what it is, everyone has one. Have you ever wondered what makes your lucky charm so lucky though? Of course you haven't. To you it's just a symbol, but the fact is, you still believe it's lucky. That's what makes it special. That's what makes _me_ special.

My name is Lady, Lady Luck.

My first memory is of looking at my reflection, only it's not really my reflection, it's my twin sister. And we're really not twins, I mean, we are, but, then again, we aren't. We share the same face but that is where the similarities end. Her hair is blue-black, mine is blood red; her eyes are like sapphires, mine are emeralds; she is dressed in dark purple, I am dressed in pure gold.

We are two sides of the same coin, twins. Neither of us can live without the other and yet we are constantly at war with each other. Her name is Eris, Bringer of Misfortune and like I said, my name is Lady Luck.

For the entirety of my existence I have been bestowing good luck on humans. Because my work can be seen and felt by everyone everyday I'm corporeal. That means that I can walk and talk with people and, best of all, I can play games of chance-and win.

I always win. I've never lost at anything. It's great. My leprechauns are the guardians of all the money I've won over the centuries and they don't mind because gold is shiny. I swear they've got the attention span of terriers, but they're loyal and, of course, incredibly lucky. What's really fun though is giving a little bit of luck to people who really deserve it. To see their faces just light up when something good happens to them makes what I do worthwhile.

Those people are mostly adults. They've outgrown the care of the Guardians so I take it upon myself to make sure they are looked after. That also gives me a little extra leeway. Adults don't much believe in anything which ensures that my powers aren't dependent on their belief. No, my powers are dependent on their acknowledgement of my existence. Whenever someone says "I hope luck is on our side", or "I wish you luck", or "Well that's lucky", or "This is my lucky charm", even if they don't believe in luck I get a power boost. Makes my life a hell of a whole lot easier.

Unfortunately, I've gotten so good at my job these past few centuries that the majority of people aren't even bothering to acknowledge what I do anymore. In these modern times when people acknowledge luck it's always Eris's handiwork they see, not mine. And the more they see her, the less they see me.


	2. Not In The Cards

**Tomboy101:**** I know the chapters are short but hopefully they'll get longer the farther along into the story I go. Please enjoy and don't forget to review!**

Ch. 2 Not In The Cards

I eyed the deck of cards in my hand. They were regular playing cards, nothing really all that special about them. I picked up the top card and flipped it up in the air. It spun and then froze, hanging at eye level. It was the Jack of Diamonds. I frowned. I hadn't wanted to draw that card.

I took the next top card and repeated the motion. This card stopped midair next to the other one but it was facing backwards. I reached up and turned it around. It was the Ace of Hearts. Well, it was the card I wanted but why had it been backwards?

I snatched the two cards from the air and put them back with the rest of the deck. I closed my fist around the deck and it vanished. I was starting to feel uneasy. This wasn't the first time in recent weeks that I had wanted something and things hadn't gone my way. That had never happened to me before but now it seemed to be happening all the time. It was weird and starting to freak me out just a little.

I stood up from the park bench I had been sitting on and turned. My black biker boots made crunching noises on the snowy path as I walked back through Central Park. It was nighttime in New York City. I had come here because it was Valentine's Day and Cupid had asked me to lend him some luck as he made love connections in the city of dreams on one of the most romantic days of the year. That at least had worked out. Now, though, I was needed in Vegas but my luck seemed to have run out which was impossible. I'm Lady Luck for crying out loud! I'm not supposed to run out of luck.

I sighed and readjusted my black fedora so it sat at a jaunty angle over my left eye. Maybe Vegas just what I needed to recharge my batteries. If all else failed though I was going to have to go get some of the luck I had been storing in my fellow Spirits. Let's hope it didn't come to that. While all of them liked having me around none of them would really appreciate me taking my luck back. I shuddered at the thought of what they would say.

I turned a corner, passing the giant statue of Balto, and came face to face with Cupid. Now, when you think of Cupid what do you see? A baby in a diaper with little white wings and a bow and arrow, right? Well, that's not Cupid at all. He's more like a twenty-five-year-old Greek Adonis: bronze skin, a drool-worthy body complete with a six pack of rock hard abs, surfer boy curls, piercing Caribbean blue eyes, and the most handsome face out of all of the Spirits. His weapons of choice are a bow and arrow but they aren't cartoony at all and you wouldn't get me to touch them with a ten foot pole. For all his ridiculous good looks though he's an alright guy, sweeter than sugar with his heart in the right place and always a perfect gentleman. Just what you'd want for the Spirit of Love.

I gave him a lazy grin. "Hey Lover-boy," I drawled in my thickest southern accent. "How's it goin'?"

"Hello Lady," he said warmly, his voice like rich chocolate. If I was anyone else I would have swooned. Thankfully I wasn't so I didn't. "It is going very well. Thank you for coming today. Everything always goes smoother when you are around."

I shrugged. "What can I say? It's what I do. Now, if you're all done I need to get goin'. There's a poker tournament I don't wanna miss."

"I am all finished. Will I see you the same time next year?"

"Dunno. All sorta depends on how good your luck is."

Cupid laughed at the joke. "I will see you around, Lady," he said as he unfurled his massive white wings.

"See ya Casanova," I said with a wave as I continued down the path. As soon as I was out of sight of Cupid I pulled a pair of black dice out of my jean's pocket. I rolled them around in my hand a couple times then brought them up to my lips. "Vegas," I whispered and tossed them.

The next moment I was standing on the rooftop of The Monte Carlo. I peered over the edge. Bright lights, lots of people. I could practically hear the slot machines and clank of chips from up here. I smiled. I love Sin City.


	3. Leprechaun Gold

Ch. 3 Leprechaun Gold

I spent two blissful weeks wandering around one of my two favorite cities. I played at cards and slots, winning frequently enough to make some money but not enough to garner suspicion. The poker tournament I had used as an excuse to come here went well. The woman I picked won and Eris seemed to have decided that she had more important places to be, thank Gaia.

Las Vegas is my favorite city in the world. Just being on the crowded streets lit by flashing neon lights was rejuvenating. This gambling Mecca is one of only two places on Earth where humans can create their own luck. Don't ask me how it works because I don't know, it's just the way things are. The other place is Monte Carlo but I've always preferred the glitz and glamour of Vegas to the posh hotels of The Riviera.

I glanced around the living room of my Bellagio penthouse suite. The walls were papered soft blue and gold, the ceiling was white and the carpet was a plush, cream material as soft as newly fallen snow. Absolutely everything in the penthouse screamed of luxury from the down comforter and feather pillows on the ornate four-poster bed to the private marble-topped bar and high-tech entertainment system situated in front of the navy Italian leather sofa.

I cuddled farther into my soft leather armchair and took another sip of my rum and coke. Through the balcony doors the sun was beginning to rise. Gray dawn turned to pearls then fire as Ra rowed the sun over the horizon in his boat. As a Spirit I didn't need to sleep and I honestly didn't mind. Without having the physical need to be oblivious to the world for eight hours every night I had a lot of free time which I always put to good use, good use to me, anyway.

I set my tumbler back down on the spindly legged end table on my left and returned to the book in my lap. It was _The Norton Shakespeare_, a collection of Shakespeare's completed works. Back in the day Shakespeare's Muse asked me for a touch of Good Fortune when he was first getting started. I gave it and this was the result, a name known throughout the world as one of the greatest playwrights and poets in history. See what can happen with a little luck?

I was in the middle of _Hamlet_, one of my favorites. I'm not really sure why it is, except maybe I like to laugh at the stupidity of the characters. I'm not sure if Shakespeare meant _Hamlet_ to be satirical but I found it hilarious.

I had just finished one of Hamlet's soliloquies when there was a pop. A cloud of neon green smoke filled the center of the room and earthy scent of spice and sharp metallic tang of gold permeated the room. I glared at the smoke cloud over my book. I didn't want visitors, especially not—

A small man, barely three feet tall, with bright red hair, dancing gold eyes and green tinted skin materialized from the midst of the green cloud. Dressed in a neat, forest green suit complete with coat and tails and shiny black buckle shoes and a matching green bowler hat the little man looked like he had just stepped out of leprechaun folklore, which he kind of had. "Lady, darling!" he said happily, flashing me a perfect white smile framed by a curly red beard.

I sighed. "Hello, Léti."

Léti the leprechaun king came up to my knee, had the traditional Irish red hair and an accent thicker than the Marianas Trench was deep. He was also annoying, very, very annoying.

"My Lady," he said, sweeping a dramatic bow. "How have you been?" he asked as he straightened, placing his green bowler hat back onto his wild red curls.

Good grief, the little man wanted to talk. Reluctantly I closed my book and focused on the leprechaun king. "I have been well. What brings you to Vegas?"

Léti rubbed his little stubby-fingered hands together, his smile turning into a manic grin. "Gold!" he cackled.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes because as much as Léti annoyed me, disrespecting him would be a very bad idea. "Of course," I said politely. Leprechauns are obsessed with gold and Vegas was built on the stuff. "Mine or the humans'?"

Léti's gold eyes glinted. "It matters not," he said gleefully.

"Well, I have a nice pile in the dresser if you'd like to take it and add it to my pile in your glade."

Léti giggled gleefully and danced over to the dresser, yanking open the cabinet. Inside was a bag half as tall as the leprechaun and just as wide full of cash. "You have quite the haul here," he said as he lugged the bag up out of the dresser and onto the floor.

I shrugged, grinning. "It's what I do."

"Shall I add it to your already cast treasure?"

"If you don't mind, my Lord."

Leti laughed again, that same mischievous giggle leprechauns were so known for, and vanished in another puff of neon green smoke. I coughed, fanning the lurid green fog away from my face. I really wished he wouldn't do that but the little man loved to make dramatic entrances and exits.


End file.
